Fitbit Gets Into the Diabetes Business

Fitbit, a company that has become well-known for its activity trackers (wearable fitness devices that monitor things like heart rate and steps walked), recently announced it was making a substantial investment in diabetes technology. The San Francisco-based firm said it had made a $6 million investment in the technology company Sano.

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Logo courtesy of Fitbit.

Founded in 2011, Sano, also located in San Francisco, has focused on developing a biometric wearable mobile sensor that continuously monitors blood sugar levels. The company describes the device, which is contained in a small patch, as “completely painless” and says that it can help users understand how their diet and exercise affects their metabolism. Business analysts speculated that if Fitbit were to incorporate blood-sugar monitoring into its existing devices it could substantially increase its sales.

According to Fitbit CEO James Park, the investment in Sano “fits into our strategy of looking beyond the device and thinking more about (health) solutions. I think the complete solution comes in the form of having some monitoring solution that is coupled with a display and a wearable that can give you the interventions at the right moment.”

Sano’s device is expected to come onto the market in early 2019. Although it will most likely be aimed at people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, the company thinks it might also be used by people with prediabetes or by users just who want to know how their lifestyle affects their blood sugar.

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Robert Bob Wine

That sounds REALLY GREAT, I’ve been type I since 1981 and always happy about better tech. I wear a FitBit anyways, so it’s a win / win situation.

I am excited about the Fitbit acquisition. I have Type 2 and I have a Fitbit. I used the Fitbit to build movement into my life after diagnosis and that worked and is still a motivator for me. I have gotten lazy with testing my blood sugar as simple as it is to do…..you get over your own blood…blood on the device, blood on your recording book…..yet I know when I was testing 3 x a day…I was more careful with my eating…and of late I know I have slipped into bad eating….not a huge slip….but a small slip is enough to screw with sugar levels.
I used testing so regularity as a method that worked for me of monitoring my levels.
The thought of constantly monitoring my levels is a way that I can work out what foods to avoid within a palette of knowing what not to do.
I am excited by this news and I will be into one when it arrives early 2019.

Thanks for the news.

Graham

Michael Romeo

This is so awesome tech, both of my children are type 1 and this would greatly help them in their daily management.

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